Yuki Sohma
Yuki Sohma (Yoo-kee So-mah) is one of the three protagonists of Fruits Basket. He is one of the cursed Zodiac family members (when hugged by the opposite sex, he transforms into the rat). He is a popular high school student despite his own severe self-doubts. He is also president of the student council. He has his own fan club and is sometimes called "Prince Yuki" and "Prince Charming". Appearance Yuki stands 5' 7" and weighs 119 pounds. He has gray hair that might come off as black to some. Yuki's hair style has front fringe with side of his hair longer than his fringe. He dresses mainly in Chinese-style clothes just for the reason that Takaya-sesnsei (the mangaka) likes them. She added that she believes they suit his androgynous (having both male and female characteristics) nature, and that she deliberately gave Yuki and Kyo different styles to distinguish them farther. While Kyo prefers loose clothes, Yuki often where collar-ed or tight fitting clothes. When Yuki transforms, he is a mouse with grey fur. According to Tohru, Yuki shares the same eyes as Ayame, only to be different colours and Ayame looks like the grown-up version of Yuki. Personality Yuki is an attractive, reserved, and accomplished young man with many admirers, but he finds being friendly difficult. As a young man possessed by the rat, the animal that according to legend was first to arrive at the initial zodiac banquet, Yuki is indeed talented at anything he tries (except cooking). Because of his past emotional abuse, Yuki has low self-esteem and feels isolated almost all the time. At school where, despite his popularity, he must avoid intimacy with girls so they don't they trigger his transformation into a rat. He has a fan club lead by Motoko Minagawa (senior in high school) that tries to "protect" him from other admirers, with the result that Yuki is further isolated. Yuki, however, wishes that he could be with people as friends, rather than be admired from afar, and envies both Kyo Sohma's easy ways with others. Story Overview History Staying at the Main House While staying at the Main House, Akito kept him isolated from the rest of the family and convince him no one liked or needed him. Before Summer Vacation During Summer Vacation After Summer Vacation ﻿ ﻿ Relationships Relationship with Tohru With Tohru Honda's help, Yuki is gradually able to "open the lid" on his feelings, and the summer after she begins living in Shigure's house, Yuki admits to himself that he loves her, but as if she was a mother. After meeting Tohru, Yuki started warming up to other people and becomes much more social, as well as accepting who he really is. He is touched when, faced with the fact that she may have her memory of the Sohma family secret erased, Tohru asks that he remain her friend, which no one had asked him before. Relationship with Akito As a child, Yuki was traumatized by Akito Sohma, the leader of the Sohma family. When Yuki was younger, Akito used to have total control over him. He would tell him terrible things that he could never forget -- that he was the most hated member of the family and that if it weren't for him, Yuki would have no reason to exist. These statements were seemingly confirmed by the behavior of the rest of the family: Hatsuharu proclaimed he hated Yuki (although he later comes to adore Yuki), despite the fact he had never met him before. His brother, Ayame Sohma, brushed off his cry for help, and Kyo always hated and blamed him. Everyone else in the zodiac did not speak with him, though that was probably not an intentional snub on their part. On top of being mentally abusive, Akito was often physically abusive as well, and sometimes would lock Yuki away inside a dark room to torment him. As a result of the combined abuse, Yuki has terribly low self-esteem, and suffers from self-hatred and an inferiority complex. Though his outward demeanor shows nothing of his childhood torture, Yuki reveals to Tohru that he does not care or appreciate who he is as his personality was shaped to please others and conform to society, which he incidentally excels at. Later in the manga it is revealed that the reason Yuki lives with Shigure is Hatsuharu made a deal with Shigure that if agreed to call him sensei he would allow Yuki to live with him. Relationship with others Hatsuharu Sohma felt animosity towards Yuki during part of their childhood because of the story often told to Haru about the rat taking advantage of the "stupid" cow; this made Haru develop an inferiority complex towards his older cousin. However, after actually meeting Yuki face-to-face, Haru was able to see Yuki's extreme kindness and developed a deep admiration for him. In the manga, Ayame seems to have succeeded in 'renewing the bond between brothers' because at one point Yuki seemed to have gotten used to Ayame and thanked him for protecting him from their mother (chapter 72 pages 17-23). Yuki also feels a close connection with his cousin Kisa Sohma as she was teased, because the children in her class thought she was different from others. Until Tohru Honda touched her heart, she didn't go to school and she couldn't speak, much like Yuki back when he was younger. Likewise Yuki, despite his popularity, rarely interacted with anyone on a personal level and was extremely private and introverted. Until he met Tohru, Yuki was afraid of becoming close to anyone because of an incident during his childhood when his secret was discovered by his friends during a game of tag and Akito ordered Hatori Sohma to erase the children's memories. Yuki was all alone. When Yuki joined student council, he met many unique characters. Including Kakeru Manabe, a boy who Yuki views the same way as Ayame, Kimi Toudo, a girly cute girl who people claim as a "man-stealer", Naohito Sakuragi, a person who likes to get things done, but gets mad about many things, and Machi Kuragi, a quiet girl who keeps to herself. Machi and Yuki's relashionship build during the series, and to assure Machi, Yuki gives her the key to his college dorm. Machi essentialy is Yuki's girlfriend, and is the first woman that he is able to embrace after the curse is broken. Health Problems Yuki also appears to have respiratory problems, due to his weak bronchial tubes, and gets regular checkups from Hatori to monitor his condition. In his childhood, these asthma attacks were apparently frequent, though they appear to be less so in the present. Still, he has to take extra precautions, because he occasionally has attacks, which could cause him to transform in public. The Rat of the Zodiac Yuki is the year of the Rat. Being the rat, he excels in almost anything he tries (except for cooking). He has been shown communicating with rats and even using them as his helpers in the beginning of the manga. Unlike the other Zodiac characters, his name is not derived from his zodiac animal. Natsuki Takaya-sensei claimed in an author's note she used Yuki because "nothing else sounded good." Yuki can also mean snow in Japanese, although the kanji in his name means "reason" and "hope" or "a reason to hope". Gallery File:Fruitsbasket-Yuki_Sohma.jpg|Yuki crossdressing. Category:Sohmas Category:Fruits Basket Characters Category:Males Category:Cursed Sohmas